WordClerks

What do you think of clients that behave in this manner?



Write the reason you're deleting this FAQ

What do you think of clients that behave in this manner?

For the most part, over the years, my clients have been great.  There have been a few that have driven me crazy with their requests.  Have you ever had any client that behaved in the following manner?

I accept clients from all over the world.  To me, it does not matter where they are from as long as they will pay when payment is due.  However, one thing that I recently encountered was a client from another country that did not have proper English.  It was very apparent in his emails to me.  But I understood what he wanted as he provided examples.  I completed the work and sent it to him for review.  He got back with me and said that it needed work because I was not using proper English( mainly dealing with prepositions).  

Now, I am all for someone pointing out my mistakes.  I learn from that.  However, I am uncertain as to how he could say that it was not proper English when he could not even type correct English.  It kind of ticked me off.  

How would you have felt in this situation?  

Comments

Please login or sign up to leave a comment

Join
davedaot04
Man that's a terrible situation to be in, I don't know why he acting like that when as you've said he isn't good in English at the first place? Maybe he's also sending what you've done to him to someone else to earn? and then it got rejected or I don't know, I'm really just guessing because that's I weird situation, I feel sorry for you.



Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Enyi
It apparently this is what he does. I think he outsource his work from clients to make his own cut .it obvious the owner of the work didn't find the work perfect enough. Well, if it what can be corrected then that should be done.



Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Alymae
Indeed. This could be the reason why he reacted that way. I also encountered this type of client who asked a lot of revisions. I was so frustrated because I am sure that what I submitted has no grammar mistakes. I mean, I am not perfect but I have checked a lot of times before submitting it. I decided that I would just finish this project with this client and I won't deal with him ever again.



Are you sure you want to delete this post?

angie828
I understand you there! I know that by no means am I perfect. And I never claimed to him that I was. I took my time proofreading the article and then ran it through the checker that he wanted me to use.
And when I brought it up to him that the checker said that I was using the correct ones, he was like but you are not. Really? It was just so aggravating!!



Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Wenkx03
Maybe that's because he summitted it to his boss or something and notice your mistake. But its still not a good manners. He can just send it to you again and ask for editing.



Are you sure you want to delete this post?

theresajane
Yes, this may be the case. But, we don't know the real thing since we don't know the client. Well, if you know that those mistakes are actually true, then you just have to deal with it. As long as he pays well, then, go for it.



Are you sure you want to delete this post?

JBeleren
What you felt was understandable but the client not being able to write proper english then telling you that your work needs some polishing shouldn't be a problem. He could have had someone review your work for him. Everyone will not have a proper hold of the english language, just respect their opinion as a client. You can be irked privately but always stay professional when communicating with them.



Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Barida
That is true as they way that the clients communicate does not have to affect the work that we do for them. This is one of the reasons we should try to put up a good job for every client that we come across.



Are you sure you want to delete this post?

theresajane
Exactly. That must be how they would react if they'd known there are some errors. Clients would always want to have the best for them. Also, him being able to figure it out even though he has poor English means that he really hired someone for proofreading.



Are you sure you want to delete this post?

amelia88
I'd have a pretty low tolerance for someone correcting me on things that they weren't experts in either. I think sometimes there are just bosses who love to micromanage and will nitpick everything you do - no matter how great of a job you do, they still find something to critique.

I don't know that I'd want to work for someone like that again though, if I had other alternatives.



Are you sure you want to delete this post?

ajahcuizon
I have met a lot people with that same attitude. I'm not sure if they are really mad at me and wanting to destroy me or if they really just can't help it but to judge every mistake that I've done. I share my sentiments with you as I also don't know if I can work well with such client.



Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Enyi
I know we can do a very good job by our own standard but it might reeks of errors and stuff through another eyes. So if a client gives a bad rating or complains I think the best thing to do is recheck to be sure, everything is perfect the next time.The client might be right after all.



Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Wenkx03
I agree with that. I think accepting mistake helps you to grow more. Some mistake makes you more keen to details of your work.



Are you sure you want to delete this post?

knnon
That must be upsetting. What you can do is explain it to him. There's a site that checks grammars on articles you've written, you can direct him to one of those sites so he can see for himself. I'm sorry you're going through a difficult client, but as you know with our line of work we can't please everyone.



Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Jeane
How would you have felt in this situation?

I deal with most criticism positively. Most likely I would look through my work to ascertain whether the mistakes pointed out exist. Instead of dismissing the critic offhand, that is what I would do first and even if it is just one mistake, I'd fix it.

I've had to work with people in the past who'll do their best to find even one spelling mistake in a piece of writing and use that as an excuse to claim that what you submitted was poorly written. When someone makes such demands, at times you just need to humor them. It is better than starting an argument that you probably won't win.



Are you sure you want to delete this post?

burgosmichael24
I agree with you. We cannot please everybody. Maybe he can send you back the articles and mark those mistakes so you can check your articles if you really made some mistakes. However, you can guide him how to check those mistakes by himself.



Are you sure you want to delete this post?

NerdIndeed
Or better yet, let him do all the work and see if he can come up with a better job at it. Tell him to use Grammarly, haha!



Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Corzhens
To be frank it is frustrating to be reprimanded by someone who should be reprimanded for the mistake. One client who doesn't know English very well would point out your mistakes in English? That was kind of funny to me because it is really ironic or maybe outrageous. Perhaps you can just shrug it off instead of being annoyed. We meet all kinds of people in the internet and maybe you can just charge it to experience.



Are you sure you want to delete this post?

jaymish3
How about you try and use a tool like Grammaly or use a professional editor/proofreader and send the results out to him. If he still does not accept it then drop him as a client, there is nothing you can do.Maybe he is a con and wants to use your work without paying any money. You need to be careful, if its not worth the hassle let him go and concentrate on finding other clients. In my opinion all you can do is all you can do.



Are you sure you want to delete this post?

ajahcuizon
I would also feel the same if I were you. I find it somehow offensive as he is judging you work while he can't even correct his mistakes. I just hope that he will pay more attention first to his mistakes than to criticize you with your services. But if you know for yourself that you really have mistakes, better to apologize and make it as a lesson to be learned.



Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Jelineex
Probably, he couldn't get the exactly message of what he wants you to write. Since he only provide examples which is the basis of your understanding. He can't put it into writings and he can't explained well. There is probably a miss communication. It maybe an insult but just ignore it. You know what your ability and capacity compared to that person. He can't make a simple sentence but you can make an article. Don't get affected with that kind of personality. They're just spices in life.



Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Alania
There are different customers and situations, obviously. Personally, I'd say in your case there's a room for mistake on his side. I dislike when clients are being rude, but let's be honest, sometimes the other side can be rude too. So it's a tough question. We gotta know more details.



Are you sure you want to delete this post?

jpk0007
Well i think that this problem can occur when you are offering your services to clients all around the World. When a client is unable to communicate well in English, then it may result in complete miscommunication in regards to the work. Its better to ask for written instructions regarding the work in advance. It is necessary to get everything clarified before you begin your work, so that the future disputes and complications can be avoided.



Are you sure you want to delete this post?

NerdIndeed
It happened to us before where every one of us got banned from a site because according to him we were not using proper English. People he banned were great writers, to begin with, and I have a feeling that he's only trying to make excuses because he's nuts. Just let him go and find others.



Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Franzel2oo
Ticked off as well. I'm curious to know how this story ended for you. The most difficult clients are those who believe they know better than the one they hired to do the job. Why hire someone if you can do it yourself, and do it better in the first place? It's especially unnerving when you know their lapses, and yet they try to correct you using those lapses.



Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Kakashi2020
There are good clients and there are bad ones, this is also true about freelancers. There's always two sides to a coin. The best thing to do to people like that is to drop them and find better clients.



Are you sure you want to delete this post?

theresajane
This is a terrible experience. It would really annoyed me if I was in your position. But, maybe, the client has his own proofreader or something like that. Anyway, if he doesn't insult you and he's just asking for revisions, I guess, you just have to follow. As long as he pays well and he doesn't go too far, we have to understand that there will always be weird clients like him.



Are you sure you want to delete this post?